On fivethirtyeight, they’re asking what kind of message the Democrats need to win in 2018. The consensus is that in the midterms, the Dems don’t need to be particularly positive, but only need to attack Trump.

I agree and I don’t. Dems should absolutely focus on Trump’s shortcomings. But I think it’s smartest to package that in pseudo-positive language.

I’ll go further and present, for the first time anywhere, the Official First Draft of the Dems’ Midterm Ads. As I’ve been saying on this blog, for the next two years, the opposition party shouldn’t emphasize the big George Soros issues. The key word is emphasize; the issues remain in the platform while they aren’t being emphasized in ads for swing voters. (Just like Trump failed to emphasize a lot of his more extreme, anti-working-class positions while on the campaign trail.)

As an example, my first draft of this First Draft included Restore American Fairness and Restore American Tolerance, but I’m avoiding Dem code-words. A few Dem priorities like health care and climate change get name-checked just enough so that the Dems don’t lose their agenda entirely, but mostly this stuff is written for the 60% who disapprove or don’t approve of Trump. Furthermore, every time this Draft mentions something that needs a source, it would be better to use a right-wing one: Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, Breitbart, National Review, The Weekly Standard. They’ve all covered these stories. (USA Today is also good, not because they’re partisan, they’re not, but because they’re still in every Denny’s in America.)

Basically, almost everything here is something that wouldn’t have happened under President Cruz or Rubio or Pence or Koch brother. This is the stuff that’s disappointing all voters, it’s just that some of them are too hypnotized/shame-spiralled to admit it.

But why, you might ask, is this Draft in such rough form? Because I’m not paid to do this. Give me some of that sweet, sweet lobbying cash, and I’ll be happy to do this in video form.

As I say, for the midterms, this leans heavily on being anti-Trump. But it wouldn’t be a bad idea to support this with a website that uses the same bullet points supported by more positive (if boilerplate Democrat) ideas.

The Draft starts by hitting swing voters right where they live. Start with an audio that says “We Have a 20-Point Plan to Fight Trump…”

1 Restore American Promises

Note that border wall and Hillary-indicting promises were forgotten

#DraintheSwamp, but Goldman Sachs/bankers running policy

2 Restore American Jobs

Show Trump signing mine-workers deal, but where are the jobs??

Taking credit for Obama-era saved jobs, like at Charter, or China importing US beef

3 Restore American Infrastructure

Where are the infrastructure jobs?

Show the campaign promises, including an election night bait-and-switch, and show the tumbleweeds since Jan 20

4 Restore American Potential

Show Trump policies that give only to 1%, like AHCA, tax reform

Note no action on trade, and indeed allowing 1% to “offshore” $ and jobs